2011 NHL Trade Deadline: New York Rangers and the 5 Losers of the Deadline
The NHL's trade deadline was a let down for most hockey fans this year, and it was also a let down for a few teams.
Whether it was that they did not get enough in return or couldn't pull a trade off before the 3 p.m. deadline, all of the teams in this slide show were losers.
With so few big name players on the trade market, it was difficult for a team to really make a big splash or a big mistake.
None of the teams in the following slides made a big enough mistake that their franchise is doomed for a few years, but they did not help their playoff cause or did not help the near future of their team.
Feel free to comment below on what other teams you think were losers and why.
New York Rangers
1 of 5
Most of the New York Rangers trade deadline plans revolved around acquiring Brad Richards from the Dallas Stars. The Rangers are battling for a playoff spot and Richards would have been a huge boost moving forward.
Many hockey fans are now joking that although the Rangers did not get Richards, they got the next best thing in John Mitchell.
For those of you who do not know who Mitchell is, and that's probably most of us, he is a center from the Toronto Maple Leafs who has gone back and forth between the Leafs and their AHL team.
In the 23 games Mitchell has played in the NHL this year, he has two goals and an assist.
The Rangers did make a smart move in acquiring Bryan McCabe, who will add some much needed depth to their defense.
Rangers fans may be upset they didn't land Richards this deadline, and the road to the Stanley Cup playoffs may have become a bit more difficult, but Richards is a free agent next season, and one can be sure the Rangers will be bidding on him.
New York Islanders
2 of 5
Staying in the New York Metro area, the Islanders were also losers this deadline, but for a completely different reason then their cross town rivals.
The Islanders were looking to trade two players, Zenon Konopka, who is the fifth best faceoff guy in the NHL and is not afraid to drop the gloves, and Radek Martinek, who many considered to be one of the best defensemen available.
While most Islanders fans out there were happy to see both of these players still on the roster, the Isles could have always re-signed them in the offseason.
GM Garth Snow was asking for a second-round pick for both of them, and although there were rumors of trades with Vancouver and Anaheim, nothing came to a head.
The fans of the Islanders can be happy where this team is headed, but it would not have hurt to stockpile a few picks in next years drafts while potentially only losing players for the final 20 games of this season.
Florida Panthers
3 of 5
The Florida Panthers took the trade deadline as a chance to dump a lot of cap. The Panthers traded away a slew of players including McCabe, Dennis Wideman and Radek Dvorak.
The Panthers also traded away one of their best scorers in Michael Frolik, and did not receive much in return.
The biggest problem with the Panthers trade deadline moves was the lack of a move involving goaltender Tomas Vokoun.
Vokoun could have given almost any team pushing for a playoff spot a huge boost, and it is difficult to believe there were no teams interested in adding him.
The star goaltender will be a free agent at the end of the season, and it seems likely he will want to go somewhere that has a legitimate chance of making the Stanley Cup.
The Panthers should have gotten something for Vokoun, and because they didn't, they are a deadline loser.
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Tampa Bay Lightning
4 of 5
Most of the reason Tampa Bay is included on this list is because they really could have used a player like Tomas Vokoun to help propel them into the playoffs.
The Lightning are going to be heading into the playoffs with goaltenders Mike Smith and Dwayne Roloson. Roloson has been great for the Lightning and Smith is 10-5. The problem with Smith is that his save percentage is .883 and he is giving up 3.2 goals per game.
The Lightning are a favorite to represent the East in the playoffs, but while the Washington Capitals were adding players left and right, the Lightning only added Eric Brewer.
While Brewer is a great pickup for the Lightning, the lack of trade for a goaltender could kill them later on in the season.
St. Louis Blues
5 of 5
This may be a stretch, and many St. Louis fans are very happy with the Blues trades, but I think they could have gotten more for all they gave away.
The Blues stockpiled draft picks in return for many of their key players.
They traded away their captain, Eric Brewer, who may have not been the best captain and only had 14 points this season.
They also traded away Erik Johnson, who many thought would be a premier defender in the league, but so far has not panned out. It will probably be a few years before we know if that was a smart trade.
The Blues have received contributions from the players they traded for so far, which makes these trades look smart.
The only reason I would say they are losers is because of the trade for Brad Boyes. While some will argue that the Blues got away with one, I think Boyes would have given the Blues more than they received for him, which was a second-round pick.
Boyes has another season left on his contract for $4 million, and the Blues could have used that next year.
To conclude with the Blues, they didn't really do anything wrong, but could have gotten even more than they already did.
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